The Family Feed

The Square Sicilian Slice

Published on Friday, 18 February 2011 05:00 | Written by Karin Cross-Smith

Ok, I know this is a cooking blog and not a restaurant review blog. I do understand my charter and I totally dig it, I love cooking and writing about cooking. But seriously, I don't think I've ever in my life had an emotional response to a simple piece of pizza, so when that happened to me this week, I decided I had to tell the tale.

Revisiting the Customary Condiment

Published on Tuesday, 01 February 2011 20:24 | Written by Karin Cross-Smith

I've never really been a fan of mayonnaise. It seems to be one of those things that you either love or you hate, and I believe I can count more folks that hate it than love it. Until I tried the divine vegetarian BLT at one of my new faves, The Owl House, I don't think I ever even thought about putting mayo on a sandwich. But alas... those days are gone. After just one of those modified American classics, I find myself even craving the stuff, but have found the storebought kind falls short of exciting my palate.

Makin' Frycakes

Published on Wednesday, 17 November 2010 16:21 | Written by Karin Cross-Smith

So many cooking and food adventures since I last wrote, where do I start?

In this season of fresh apple cider, which is truly one of my favorite things, even the healthiest of eaters find themselves craving one of those tasty little frycakes you can find at most cider mills this time of year. Sometimes they're called Cider Donuts, and you'll find them donned in cinnamon and sugar, a sugar glaze, plain or even powdered sugar. True, they're not exactly packed with low-cal nutrition, but there's something wickedly appealing about a mug of icy cold or warm spiced cider with a sugary little frycake at its side.

Toast. Your. Pasta.

Published on Tuesday, 04 January 2011 05:00 | Written by Karin Cross-Smith

Toast. Your. Pasta.

To me, pasta may be the world's most perfect food. Undeniably simple yet profoundly versatile, it's hard to imagine that it can be improved. But wait! Something I've done for years and have recently been doing more than ever is indeed a way to improve on the humble pasta- toast it! Folks in some parts of the world have embraced this technique for years. A common and easily modifiable Spanish dish called Fiduea or Fideo is a pasta dish using broken toasted pasta in place of rice, cooked down in liquid and mixed with veggies, seafood or meat.

Festive Paella!

Published on Monday, 27 September 2010 01:00 | Written by Karin Cross-Smith

Looking for something really spectacular to make for a special occassion but fresh out of ideas? Here's one I made last night for friends and family that was a real crowd pleaser, and was just beautiful to put out on the table. It was EASY (albeit not cheap) and made everyone very, very happy. Paella!!